Beet-harvester.



W. KITE.

BEET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. KITE.

BEET HARVESTER.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 1a, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12,1909.

2 $HEETS-SHEET 2.

19i in use:

WILLIS KITE, OF LAS ANIMAS,

COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM A. COLT AND WILLIAM A. COLT, JR, BOTH OF LAS ANIMAS, COLORADO.

BEET-HARVESTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application filed February 18, 1908. Serial No. 416,581.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIs KITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Las Animas, in the county of Bent and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Beet-Harvester, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to agricultural implements and more especially to beet harvesters.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction, arrangement of parts and combination of details, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specifically claimed.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved form of harvester of the character indicated which consists of means for throwing the earth away from a row of beets, followed by a means for removing the crowns and tops of the beets and depositing them to one side, and the last means being followed by an improved plow adapted to dig the beets from the ground with improved means for separating them from the soil and depositing them upon the surface in the Wake of the im lement.

n the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a side elevation of the beet harvester with parts removed. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the harvester. Fig. 3 is a detail showing the beet top guide. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the spreader plate.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The harvester comprises a U-shaped axle 1, at the ends of which are journaled the sup porting wheels 2. A frame is ivoted to said axle just within the inner si e of the suporting wheels 2. Said frame comprises a bridge portion 3 and a forwardly extending portion 4. Said portion 4 inclines upwardly from its point of attachment to the axle, and horizontal bars 5 connect the bridge portion with the forward ends of the portions 4. seat 6 is mounted between the bars 5 upon a spring carried by the bridge 3. A collar 7 is carried upon the axle 1, and a pivot 8 is held thereon. The frame carrying the various cutters and guides is mounted upon said ivot 8. Said frame consists of beams 9 whic are edals 15.

joined together at their ends and s read apart at the intermediate portion, eing united by a cross piece 10 through which eX- tends the pivot 8 before mentioned. The standards 11 depend from the forward portion of the beams 9 and are provided with disks 12 journaled thereon. These disks are disposed at an angle to each other and at an angle to the line of draft of the implement, and are adapted to remove the soil from the sides of the row of plants. A bent lever 13 is carried in bearings 14 mounted between the beams 5 of the frame. The u per end of said lever is provided with lateral y disposed foot The collar 16 is formed upon said ever at the lower bend thereof, and a spring 17 is held between said collar and the beams 9 and at all times tends to depress the beams 9 with relation to the beams 5 at the forward ends thereof. The lever 13 is held in a suitable guide between the beams 9, so that the ends thereof may slide upon said lever 13 and a stop 18 is provided at the lower end of the lever to prevent said beams sliding off of said lever. The beams 9 are thus enabled to be swung in a transverse direction to the draft of the implement. A mold-board 19 is attached to the rear end of the beams 9 and is provided at its lower edge with a bar 20 to which is attached a spreader plate 21 so called on account of its spreading the bars 20 and 22 apart as shown in Fig. 2 preferably of U- shape. A bar 22 is attached to said spreader plate in approximately parallel position to the bar 20, these bars constituting the plow point. The second bar is provided with a substantially vertically disposed colter 23 which is adapted to cut the tendrils from one side of the roots as they are dug from the ground. Sifting bars 24 are mounted on the digging bars and mold-board and are provided with spirally formed surfaces arranged so that beets passing thereover will have the dirt scraped from them, the beets falling outward from the mold-board, while the dirt drops toward the opposite side and nearer the mold-board. These bars are so spaced that the clods of earth will be carried up along them together with the beets contained therein. By reason of the spirally formed surfaces of the bars the clods are brolren up and the fine earth dropped between the bars. not pass between the bars but on'account of the peculiar arrangement in which the bar nearest the mold-board is placed above the other bars, the beets themselves will be thrown off to one side. A frame carrying the crown and top removing cutters is pivoted to the beams 9. Said frame consists of the bars 25, to the rear ends of which is attached a cross piece 26. Spindles 27 depend from the ends of the cross piece 26 and are adjustable with relation to each other by means of clamps 28. Cutters 29 are held to the lower ends of said spindles, and h A means of the clamps 28 maybe adjustedwith relation to each other, so that their inner edges may be made to overlap to'any required degree. A shoe 30 is attached at its forward endbetweenthe bars 25, and is adjustable thereon. The rear end of said shoe terminates just in advance of the cutters 29 and is adapted to regulate the depth from the ground at which said cutters will operate upon the roots of the plants; An adjustment 31 is provided to vary the angular relation of the shoe 30 with the'ground.

The forwardly extending portions of the s indles 27 are carried in bearings 32 adjustal ly attached to bars 25, as shown at 33. A guide 34 is mounted on one of said spindles, and extends backward over and behind the cutters 29, being curved in such a manner as to push the beet tops to one side as they are cut from the beets. A yoke 85 disposed in a substantially vertical direction is attached at its ends to the beams 9. A rod 36 passes through a perforation provided at the upper intermediate portion of said yoke, the lower end of said rod being attached to the bars 25. A coiled spring 37 surrounds the rod-36 and bears at its lower end upon the upper edges of the bars 25, and at its upper end upon the under side of the yoke 35. Said spring is under tension and tends to retain t e bars 25in their lowermost position. A gear segment 38 is mounted upon the frame of the implement, and a latch lever 39' is, also, pivoted upon this frame, as at 40. The lever 39 is provided with an arm 41 from which depends a link 42 attached at the lower end thereof to therearwardly extending portion of the axle 1. It will be plain that by moving the lever 39, the axle 1 and with it the parts de ending therefrom may be raised or lowere with reference to the center of the wheels and the depth at which the cutters and digging plow operate may thus be adjusted to suit varying conditions. i A' tongue 43 is attached at the rear endto the bridge 3 of the frame, and at its forward end is connected with the beams by means of links 44. A draft rod 45 is fixed at the rear end to the cross piece and at its forward dportion passes through an eye 46 65'locate upon a laterally extending lug at- The beets, however, will tached to the forward ends of the beams 9.

This arrangement permits the draft animal .to pass along the sideof the row of plants, wlhile the diggers and cutters engage the ant. p What is claimed is 1. A beet-harvester comprising a U-shaped axle mounted upon wheels, a frame superim- -posed upon the axle, means attached to the frame and connected with the axle for swinging the intermediate portion thereof, beams supported at their forward ends upon the frame and at their rear portions by the intermediate portions of said axle, earth-cutcarried by the said beams.

2. A beet-harvester comprising a U-shaped V axle mounted upon wheels, a frame superlmposedupon the axle, beams pivotally'connected at their forward ends with said frame and supported at their rear portions upon the axle, a foot-lever fulcrumed in the frame 1 and engaging the forward portions of said beams, and earth-cutters, beet-cutters, a top guide, and a plow carried by the-beams.

' 3. A beet harvester comprising a U-shaped axle mounted upon wheels, a frame superimposed upon the axle, means mounted upon the frame and connected with the axle for swinging the intermediate portion thereof, beams ivotally connected at their forward ends with the frame and supported at their rear portions upon the intermediate portion of the said axle, a foot-lever fulcrumedto the frame and engaging said beams and earthcutters, beet-cutters, a top guide, and a plow carried'by said beams.

4. A beet harvester com rising a U-shaped axle mounted upon wheels, a frame superimposed above the axle, means mounted upon the frame and connected with the axle for swinging the intermediate portion there- 7 of,beams connecting at theirforward ends with the frame and supported at their rear portions upon the axle, a foot-lever journaled upon the frame and engaging said beams, cutters carried by the beams, a'plow 7 also carried by the beams, bars pivoted between the beams and horizontally-disposed overlap ing cutters carried by said bars, and a guide ield upon and behind said cutters.

5. A beet harvester comprising a U-shaped axle mounted upon wheels, a frame superimosed above the axle, means carried'by the frame and connected with the-axle for swinging the intermediate portion thereof, beams connected at their forward ends with said frame by a doubly bent lever, one arm'of which is provided with a spring adapted to constantly ress said ends down and supported at t eir rear portions by said axle, earth-cutters, beet-cutters and a plow car- 1 ried by the beam, a foot lever held upon the said doubly bent lever to operate the same, a tongue attached at its rearend to the frame ters, beet cutte'rsfa top guide, and a plow 80 V and connected at an intermediate point with my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the hfogward end of 13516 frame, a draft-rod at; the presence of two witnesses. tac e at its rear en to a crossiece carrie by the beams and passing at its i hrward por- WILLIS KITE' 5 tion through an eye located at the forward Witnesses:

ends of the beams. NOAH KITE,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as W. F. ELKIN. 

